Continuum
by stevethemime
Summary: 100 years have passed. A new battle takes place. A new generation rises...
1. Prelude

**Prelude**

In a lonely little white hospital room, an emaciated, middle aged man, hooked to several machines, lazily flipped through channels, finally stopping on the news channel, where the headline caught his attention.

**WORLD-WIDE APPEARANCE OF STRANGE SYMBOLS! REAL OR FAKED?**

"This is Sarah Rogers reporting, live from Belfast, Northern Ireland, with a breaking report. Sightings of strange markings on the ground have been reported allaround the _world_, often being described as glyphs, or runes. As you can see, there is one behind me, being studied by a team of researchers, let's go in for a closer look."

The camera zoomed forward a bit, and there in the lush green grass, surrounded by cautious and curious researchers and locals, was symbol carved into the grow, smoking, and glowing with a faint, but unmistakable yellow light. It appeared to be two triangles, tip to tip, with five circles-one in the center, and four others at each point-all within a larger circle.

"We are told that scientists who heard of these strange developments just hours ago, have been scanning the earth with satellites, and estimate there are over _one-hundred _of these strange markings. Professor of Geology Seamus Marshall, from Belfast university, had this to say."

The screen immediately switched to footage in front of an old brick building, where a short, white haired, spectacled man was being interviewed.

"Well, it's...exciting, honestly. We're not sure what these things are, and I can honestly say I've never even heard of something like them in my life...but we're going to continue studying them, and see what we can find. I'm sure there is a logical explanation, maybe they were somehow man-made, maybe they're naturally occurring. We don't know. What we do know is this; they are not fake, and they are very unique. They give off a feint energy signature, unlike anything we've ever seen before. We will continue studying this, and...well, I suppose we'll just have to get back to you, heh heh!" He said excitedly.

"Others from around the world have had a wide variety of opinions, which, at the moment, is all that just about _anyone _can give."

The screen showed a montage of people being interviewed, with answers varying from "It's a hoax" to "Some crazy cult is probably doing a publicity stunt" to "IT'S THE END TIMES! WE'RE ALL DOOMED!"

A plump, but pretty middle aged nurse with brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, walked in quietly, and smiled at him cheerfully. That smile always brightened his day just a bit.

"G'mornin' Mr. King, I'm just coming here to check your stats and stab you a few times." She said light-heartedly as she looked over the machines intently, and prepared some syringes filled with medicine.

He chuckled weakly at her, and motioned towards the television.

"Have you heard about any of this Miss-" He was about to continue, but started coughing painfully. She shushed him gently, and made sure that he was ok, before looking at the screen.

"Oh yeah...I think it's all a hoax...well, that'll be it young man, the doctor will come by to check on you shortly. You try to get some rest, and I'll see you later." She said with one last, warm smile, before departing.

"A hoax, eh?" He said as he rummaged through some books on his desk, picking up a crimson one with the dual-triangle symbol. "...I don't think so."

**Continuum**


	2. A new beginning

**Chapter one**

**Makai**

_The stories tell of some glorious thing, and extoll the virtues of one who can overcome all of his peers. The stories make legends out of the winners. But the stories don't tell you that this battle pits friend against friend, brother against brother...they don't tell you what it's like to meet a complete stranger, and know that you might have to kill him to survive. _

_Yes, the reality is much harsher then the stories. So much blood, so many tears have been shed over the course of these battles. So many cruel people have prospered at the expense of the good..._

_But despite all of the evils that take place, this battle is still an honorable thing._

"My Lord, the enemy are at the gates! They have started a siege, and are demanding that you step down from your throne!" A young Mamodo in silvery armor exclaimed as he rushed into the open, white-stone throne-room.

The king looked at him for a moment, as if waking from a trance, and then nodded. "Unu. I understand. Inform my advisers; it is time. Begin the battle!" He said with a regal, commanding voice.

The guard hurried off to do his duty, leaving Zatch alone again. "100 years...only 100 years." He looked over to his left, where a massive painting of his father's victory over 1,000 years ago hung upon a wall. The scene was a rugged, mountainous passage, dawn creeping up on the horizon, as his father faced a young woman with beautiful copper hair. Between them, two dragons clashed; on the left, his father's Bao Zakeruga, glowing with a fierce, silvery light, and to the right, a nearly identical dragon, black as midnight, and radiating an aura of darkness.

_This battle is an honorable thing...because to counter that evil, the good must stand up and fight!_

~OOO~

"_Good morning children, and may I be the first to congratulate you on your successful entry into the tournament! The device that this communication is being broad-casted from is called a 'locket', and with it, we shall monitor your progress, as well as offer some special perks, but we'll get into that later. As you've most likely noticed, this is no normal tournament! We shall not simply have you battling one another; that will be part of it yes, but we, the administrative board, shall test other aspects that are necessary for a good king, or queen, to have! And now, the most important test of all! In one week's time, you must find, and bond with your partner, and cast at least one spell. Otherwise, there shall be no use of spells until everyone has either failed or passed; all **500** of you! Good luck, and may the best Mamodo win!_

~OOO~

Watervliet, NY, 6 and a half days later.

Deep in the greenish, murky waters of the Hudson river, amidst piles of whirling, water-swept debris and muck, sat a curious sight-the figure of a lone teenaged boy, sitting on the floor of the river.

He was tall, lean and muscular, with lightly tanned skin, dirty, golden-blond hair in a high ponytail, wearing a sleeveless blue kimono top with a white rope belt, white broad shorts, and Japanese wooden sandals. He rubbed his hands over a deep gash in his left upper arm, and grimaced.

"_Damn-it...how could I let a set-back like this happen so early? I gotta keep in the game. _

He exhaled deeply, causing bubbles to erupt from his nose, and closed his eyes as he focused. Slowly, the deep gash on his arm began closing. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

"_He's here..."_

~OOO~

Walking down an old, weathered road beside the river, was a teenaged boy, about 16 years old, with shortish, wavy brown hair; he was average sized, lean, and had sea-green eyes, and a handsome face, which still had a boyish charm, but was beginning to look more and more masculine. He sighed contentedly as he looked around at the just-turning leaves of early October, as he put his hands into the pocket of his dark green hoodie. He smiled lightly, despite the tired look on his face.

"_It's good to finally be free...no more school today, no more work...just me and nature. And the Hudson River...there is nothing natural about that thing." _

He found an old oak tree by the end of the road, which stopped into what was once a parking lot, and now a dirt mound, due to years of neglect. No one came by here, and that's why he liked it. He propped himself up beside the tree and basically let gravity drop him into a sitting position, as he looked over beyond the river, glistening in the the sunlight, towards the wooded area on the other side. The way the sunlight reflected off of the ow yellowish leaves, the way it warmed his face, the sound of gently running water, and the feel of a cool breeze around him...it was perfect.

"_This is the way life should be, Bryant." _He thought to himself. _"Peaceful." _  
He didn't even really notice it, but soon he nodded off into what would have been a nice nap, if he didn't hear...

WHOOSH!

Bryant instinctively opened his eyes to insepct the noise (hoping that it would be nothing), and saw a blue blur shoot up out of the water. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating, but just a second later, the boy from the river landed in front of him with a thud.

"HOLY SHIT!" Bryant said, startled, as he backed up further into the tree, and began shakily standing up. The boy looked intently at Bryant with his deep blue eyes, which had a spiraling pattern to them, similar to a whirl-pool. "D...did you just jump out of the river?!" Bryant asked. The boy simply looked him up and down, as if sizing him up. He tossed Bryant a deep blue book, with the strange double-triangle symbol on the front. Bryant looked at it cautiously. It wasn't even wet after coming out of the river...and it felt like it was...radiating something.

"Read that. First line. And uh...hurry." The boy said as he looked off to the left, over a hill.

"Uh...suuure." Bryant said, trying to appease the crazy guy. He flipped it open to the first page, which started glowing a bright golden light. "...Oh my...God..." Bryant said as he looked in awe at the thing in his hand. "Who are you?" Bryant asked cautiously as he stood up, and stepped to the side, trying to get distance from the other boy in case...he didn't know what he was afraid would happen, but he was afraid of something.

The other boy simply looked at the lit book and beamed. He then smiled at Bryant, and said.

"Call me Agu. Now read the first line, we don't have much time!" Agu said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

_This is crazy._

Bryant looked down at the book, and felt the sudden urge to drop it, run like hell, and never speak of this day ever again.

_Totally crazy..._

He looked at the first words, which he could inexplicably read, and then back to Agu, who waited eagerly, and impatiently...almost desperately.

_Damnit..._

"Suisu!" Bryant yelled, forcing himself to read the words. He then felt a sudden fatigue, like his energy was sapped into the book, and Agu's eyes started glowing a bright blue, as placed his hands on the ground. There was a moment of quiet rumbling, and then, out of nowhere, a massive surge of water flooded the area around them up to waist height almost instantly.

_This isn't happening..._

Bryant was nearly knocked over; he would have been if he hadn't grabbed onto the tree beside him. Agu simply stood in the water, grinning like a kid on Christmas. Then, as suddenly as it came, a ripple went through the waters, and they disappeared; even everything it touched became dry.

_This **can't **be happening..._

Bryant stood there dumb-founded, while Agu simply smiled proudly. "I knew I was right about you." He said plainly. Next to Agu's head, a cloudy glass sphere appeared with a bronze band around the middle of it came apparently out of thin air. It glowed faintly with a dark blue light, and then emitted a sound similar to static. "Congratulations," it said sarcastically. "You're the five-hundredth Mamodo to complete the test. Which means you're an idiot." said a voice coming from the sphere.

"W...what the hell!?" Bryant yelled. Agu apparently ignored him, and held his hand out to the river.

"Setsu-jin, come!" he yelled, as a blurry metallic object sped towards him. He caught it with his right hand, stopping it suddenly; it was a long, bronze trident, with a straight shaft, a brilliant sapphire in the guard, with two squared outer blades, while the middle blade was straight, needle-like, and slightly longer. The outer blades were about six inches long, two inches wide; the bottom half of the blades were serrated, while the tops of them were plain. At the bottom of the shaft was a hexagonal rod, which seemed to act as a counter-weight.

_Oh...my...God..._

Agu held the trident in a relaxed grip and lowered it. "From now on, you're-"

WHAP!  
Agu was interrupted by a book to the face.

He backed up a bit, stunned, and saw Bryant brandishing the book, and stepping back a few feet.

"What the hell man!? Are you trying to kill me!?" Bryant shouted at him. Agu rubbed his jaw, where Bryant hit him, and smiled thinly.

"You got a pretty good arm on ya...listen, I'll explain everything later, but right now, I just need you to read that spell when I tell you, ok?"

_SPELL? Well...I guess that's what it was..._

"I..." Before Bryant had time to protest, to figures appeared at the top of the hill. One was a little boy in all black clothes, with spiky black hair, who had pale skin, yellow eyes, and a lightning shaped scar under his left eye. Beside him was a punk guy with a green Mohawk, with a yellow book just like Agu's in his right hand.

"Heh heh, now that some idiot has _finally _found his partner, we can start this thing for real. Get ready with the spell, human." The boy said to the punk, who smiled, eager to see some action.

Agu glared angrily at the boy for his comment about the idiot who finished last, and looked over to Bryant. "Go stand on that tall rock over there so you don't get hit." He said seriously.

Bryant had many questions that he needed answers to, but he got a very bad feeling from the two on the hill, so he decided to listen to Agu's advice; he looked like he knew what he was doing.

Bryant quickly climbed up the rock and opened the book to the first page, which was still glowing, but less brightly.

"We'll finish this quickly! Get the spell ready!" said the boy on the hill.

_Spell? What are they gonna do, kill each-other? I...can't let that happen!_

"Suisu!" Bryant yelled, unsure what else to do. Agu slammed the bottom of his trident onto the ground, and the area around them, just a few inches below the other team, and Bryant's footing, flooded with water.

Agu grimaced, but readied Setsu-jin at his side, widened his stance and prepared to charge. The punk with the yellow book smiled widely.

Wow, we're _reeeeally_ lucky if that's their only spell! RAIZU!" He yelled as the other boy lifted his right hand. Agu charged forward with incredible speed, leaving a wake in the water around him, but it wasn't fast enough. The boy's hands glowed with yellow electrical tendrils, before a large beam of lightning shot out from it at Agu.

Agu jumped to the side with split-second timing, getting well out of the way of the attack, but it wasn't enough. The electricity simply conducted itself through the pool, and electrocuted him.

"AAAGH!" He screamed as he arched his back in pain. As the two at the at the top of the hill started laughing, and Bryant looked on in horror, Agu simply gritted his teeth, fought the pain and continued charging, making his way up the hill. The other team stopped laughing, and even backed up a bit at the shock of seeing Agu still charging.  
"AGAIN! DON'T STOP USING THE SPELL!"

"RAIZU!" the punk yelled, as the other Mamodo shot another bolt from his hands. This one Agu simply took head on, and kept charging despite the pain.

_Oh my God...they're gonna kill him!_

"AGAIN!"

"RAIZU! RAIZU! RAIZU!" The punk yelled as Agu stood within a few feet of them; the first spell slowed him down, and caused some burns, the second spell stopped him in his tracks, nearly paralyzing him with pain. At that point, a ripple went through the waters, and they disappeared. Then the third one hit.

"AAAUGHHH!" Agu cried out in agony, before falling over, severely burned, bleeding, and smoking.

"AGU!" Bryant yelled.

The two on the top of the hill stood panting, with a frightened, and disturbed look on their faces, before realizing they had won. Then the boy started chuckling.

"Heh, one more, just to make sure we finished the job!" He said to his partner, grinning wickedly and raising a hand towards Agu.

"Rai-" The punk began saying the spell, but was suddenly cut off by a rock to the face. "AHH!" He yelled in pain as he fell to his knees and clutched a hand to his now bleeding mouth. The boy with him looked at him wide eyed, and then looked back at Bryant, who was glaring at them with tears welling up in his eyes.

"You son of a BITCH!" He screamed as he threw a rock at the boy, who simply caught it with one hand, and crushed it.

"Heh...got a little fire in your belly, eh? I'll take care of you." He said confidently as he walked towards Bryant, who stood his ground. The boy raised an eyebrow curiously as Bryant began smiling thinly, but was struck with realization as a shadow loomed over him. He quickly turned around to see Agu, bloody and battered, glaring down at him with blood-shot eyes, as he lifted Setsu-jin in the air.

"SHIT!" The boy screamed as he jumped to the side, dodging a massive downward swing, which tore up chunks of earth.

Agu simply lunged towards him, and began swinging his trident in large figure eight patterns, forcing his opponent to continue backing up, and preventing him from dodging to the sides without being hit. As the other boy started stumbling backwards, about to fall, Agu came in with more deliberate slashes, with much more momentum and power to them. The boy kept dodging, but having lost his balance, several of the slashes hit his arms or legs, leaving shallow cuts, and further preventing him from moving well.

"HUMAN! THE SPELL!" He yelled in a last-ditch effort at victory, as he kept backing up. He felt his back against something solid, and saw Agu smirk, with a look of crazed battle-lust in his eyes. "...Shit..."

Agu held the trident out to his right side, and gave it a quarter turn, so that the blade were all lined up verticallyand then slashed, raking all three of them across the other boys chest; the needle-like tips of each blade left thin, but painful cuts on the boy, whose cries of pain were cut short when Agu carried the momentum of the strike, and hit him on the jaw with the rod-like weight at the other end, knocking him out cold.

_Incredible..._

The punk looked at Agu, petrified; the battle between him and the other boy had only taken a few seconds. Agu glared at the punk, threw Setsu-jin up, and caught it reverse handed with his right hand, lifted it high, and hurled it at the punk, who screamed, and lifted the book to his face as some form of protection.

"HALT!" Agu yelled. Bryant and the punk both looked in slack-jawed disbelief as Setsu-jin stood suspended in mid-air, mere centimeters away from the punks face...and surrounded by the burning ashes of the other boys book.

"Pathetic..." Agu said queitly as the punk ran away. The unconscious boy's body started fading away with the book, until both were gone. Agu held out his hand, and Setsu-jin came back to it, just in time for him to prop himself up with it, to keep from falling over.

"Agu!" Bryant yelled as he ran up the hill to help the strange young man.  
_What the hell is going on!?_

Just as Bryant arrived, Agu's strength gave out, and he began falling; Bryant shot his arms forward, and caught him, laying him down gently. Agu looked up at him with a weak smile.

"We won..." He said quietly, before his eyes started closing, and he slipped towards unconsciousness.

"Heh...yeah, yeah we won buddy. Don't worry, I'm gonna help you out." Bryant said, trying to hide his fear, and put on a brave face as tears began streaming down his face. Agu smiled weakly at him and sighed before closing his eyes.

_Oh God...don't die on me!_

Bryant quickly checked Agu's pulse; he was still alive, but only just barely. He looked around frantically, seeing if anyone nearby could help.

_Of course not...I come out here to get away from people. Oh God, please don't let him die on me!_

Suddenly, the glass sphere appeared again, and sent another message.

"Congratulations! For becoming the first to send back another Mamodo, winning the fight quickly, and only using one spell, we have decided to overlook your catastrophic failure of the first test, and allow you to remain in the top ten! Good luck!" The sphere said overly cheerily.

_What? He's dying and all this thing cares about is his rank!?_

Bryant gritted his teeth, and nodded decisively; he needed to get Agu to help. His mom should be home from her night shift; she'd be tired, but she was a nurse, and a damn good one, so she could help him.

He lifted Agu, who still clutched Setsu-jin to his chest, even while unconscious, and as quickly as he could, ran in the direction of home.

_I don't know who he is, or what he wants with me...I know he's dangerous, and he's targeted by other dangerous people...part of me wishes that I hadn't taken my walk today, and that I'd never met him...but none of that is important right now. Right now he needs my help, and I'm not gonna let him down. God, please let him be ok. _

~OOO~

"MOM! I NEED SOME HELP! NOW!" Bryant screamed as he kicked in the door.

A startled, short plump woman, with a pretty face and brown hair, dressed in a robe and slippers walked towards him from another room.

"Jesus Bryant ya don't have ta shout. You know I'm tired from...Jesus Mary and Joseph..." She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw her son, bedraggled, covered in sweat, holding another boy about his age, singed and burnt, and if she was any judge, near death.

"Please...we have to help him..."

**Notes: I want to dedicate this story to God. **

**I will change narrative perspective throughout the story, meaning, you will see it from different people's point of view, to offer a wider perspective, and give an interesting reading experience. I'll start off slow, and gradually branch out, giving you time to really understand characters, and giving me time to plan everything out. Hopefully, this story will become rather cinematic!  
**

**Character note: Agu and Bryant started as very simple, minimalistic characters, but as I began to really develop them, and grow a fondness for them, I realized that they reminded me of myself (Bryant in particular) and my best friend, The mighty Yake (Agu in particular. And the mighty Yake is just a nickname...) I'll get into that more deeply. In any case, good luck, and have fun!  
**

**Mime out.  
**


	3. An explanation

Chapter two

Bryant sat quietly on an old bean-bag chair in his long, narrow room in the attic of his house, his reddened eyes focused on the bed where Agu lay, under the round window of the slanted-roofed room. It was scarcely furnished; bear wooden floors and beams, a bed, his chair and a dresser was basically all he had (aside of course from the tv and game system present in any proper teenaged boys room.)

He looked over at the clock on his dresser; 4:13 it read. Looking back at Agu, he was almost amazed at how peaceful he looked...but he couldn't shake that sense of dread, that knot in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head, as if trying to shake away the doubts that this mysterious stranger would get better; he obviously wasn't normal.

He rubbed his reddened eyes, and for a moment, just let them stay shut, almost unable to open them; the absence of light eased the stinging of his eyes, and he knew that he needed to get some sleep.

As he begrudgingly opened his eyes, he almost jumped back in shock, to see Agu looking back at him. Agu blinked a few times, and smiled warmly at Bryant, before yawning.

"A...are you ok?" Bryant asked incredulously; his mother mentioned that he'd probably not be able to wake up for at least another day or two. And that was after she had seen how quickly his body was healing.

Agu pulled the blanket off, and sat up with his feet on the bed. He was wearing just his white shorts, as well as several bandages wrapped around his muscular arms and torso, where he was burnt. He looked at the bandages curiously, before tearing them off, revealing himself to be totally healed. He looked at Bryant with a wide boyish smile.

"I'm better, sir." He said plainly. He looked around his new surroundings curiously as Bryant stared at him amazed.

"I...can't believe it." said Bryant; it was all he could manage, before a moment of stunned silence.

"Is this where you live?" Agu asked, snapping Bryant out of a trance of sorts. Bryant simply nodded. "It's nicer then my place..." Agu said in a far-off voice. He furrowed his brow, looked at the floor and scratched the back of his head, as if trying to remember something. He then looked back at Bryant. "Last night..."

"...Yep..." Was all Bryant said. There was a moment of silence as the boys remember their meeting.

"I...you saved my life." Agu said, with a thin smile, a look of respectful appreciation in his eyes..

"Um...it was actually mostly my mom, she's a nurse, and she did a lot more to actually help you get better, so..."

"I owe you my life sir..." Agu said before slipping off the bed, onto his knees with his head bowed. "For the rest of my life, I will be your servant!" Agu said decisively.

"What?! No, no that won't be necessary...at all!"

Agu looked up at him confused. "Oh...ok. Then...your body-guard?" He said cautiously.

"No!" Bryant said emphatically. Agu looked at him confused.

"...House-carl?"

"No! I...actually don't know what that is...but you don't owe me anything! Well..." Bryant said with a look of sudden realization. He closed his eyes in concentration, as the glass sphere appeared out of this air, and floated into his open hand. "I suppose you owe me...an explanation..." He said quietly. Agu nodded.

~OOO~

New Delhi

Six days ago

A young Indian woman ran quickly down a dark hall of a white stone palace, elaborately decorated with rich Indian tapestries, her braided black hair flowing behind her as she went. In her hands, she tightly clutched a blackish green book, with the double-triangle symbol. She came to the end of the hall, and entered into a small, closed room, slamming the door behind her, and creeping to the back wall, waiting...listening. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the color was draining from her face. She grimaced as she clutched her hand to her chest in pain, but fought against it, so she could focus on her surroundings. She looked briefly at the mysterious book in her hands; what could she possibly have to do with this.

She heard it. A quiet, slithering sound approached her, more quickly then she thought possible. She hoped, prayed that it would pass her by, but it was coming straight towards her! A sound, like a heavy exhalation came from just behind the door, followed by haggard breathing, as a black shadowy haze came through the cracks between the door an its frame, moving towards her in what appeared to be clawed hands. There was a feint reddish light in the room, as the door handle slowly creaked, and the door inched open, as a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway...

WHAP!

"OW!" The figure yelled as the girl bashed his face in with the black book just as he entered the room. She backed up a bit, brandishing the book like a weapon, as he slowly came in, rubbing his face where she hit him. He looked at her incredulously; his face was papery in color, and thin, but handsome, his eyes were slitted green spheres, and two emerald colored lines streaked down his face from the bottom of his eyes to his chin; a head of thick, short, spiky black hair crowned his head, and he had what appeared to be long elf ears. He lifted his scaly, clawed hands slightly, as a gesture of indignation. "The fuck, woman?" he asked plainly.

She looked him up and down, now able to see him in the dim light of the little room; he wore an elaborate black, gold embroidered Sherwani coat, which fit snugly around his lean torso; on his wrists were several copper bracelets, many appearing to be snakes, and he held an elaborate glass hookah, ornamented with gold, which had a base shaped like four elephants, holding it up with their backs, which rested on his green...scaly...tail!?

"BACK DEMON!" The girl said, swinging the book wildly. He slithered back and held his hands up defensively.

"Easy! I just want to...pff..." He said, interrupting his sentence by inhaling from his hookah, and blowing out a blackish hazy smoke. "hooo...talk." He said quietly. He looked at her now; she was beautiful. She was short, and a bit chunky, but well proportioned, curvy...she wore a traditional red Sari dress which was gorgeously embroidered, and on her head was the traditional red mark, but it was different somehow...glowing.

She backed up a bit, not expecting to see him act peacefully. "I...my name is Mohua..."

"Pleased to make your...pff...hooo...acquaintance, Mo. I am-" He was then interrupted.

"WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT ARE YOU!? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME!? WHAT IS THIS BOOK!?" She screamed at him. He noticed that the red mark on her head was no longer glowing, and she looked more tired somehow.

He smiled slyly, bowed politely, and quietly said. "My name is Veranga Karishnumarti...I am a Mamodo." He smiled, as if he just answered all of her questions. She looked at him curiously...and angrily. Mostly angrily.

"Well, I suppose it's time to explain...You see princess, 500 Mamodo children came to your world to fight each-other, and hopefully be the last one standing, when they will be stated as…" He paused briefly, and she widened her eyes in suspense. "Pfff…hoooo… king."

~OOO~

Bryant looked at Agu wide eyed, then back to the book. "You mean, that's the reason why that kid attacked you!? This all some kind of...political scheme!?" Agu merely nodded.

"If you're not strong, you're not fit to be king. We need humans to use spells in your world...I think. I wasn't paying much attention at the orientation thingy...but we've got to protect that book, or I'll get sent back, without winning, and who knows what'll happen to you!" Agu said seriously.

Bryant had a grave look on his face as he imagined what would have happened if Agu hadn't finished off that other boy...

~OOO~

"So, there are 499 more kids like you out there, trying to burn this book by any means necessary!?" Mo yelled, unable to take in the situation. Veranga calmly inhaled some smoke, and nodded.

"Exactly…I'm assuming that few of them are already already matched up...pff...hooo…honestly I'm getting to you a bit early…Pfff …hoooo…but don't think that all of them will be like me…" He said, dead serious. Mo swallowed hard, nervous at the sudden change of his demeanor. "Of course, some of them, while powerful, won't be violent, and might avoid fighting…"

~OOO~

North Montana

The sun was in the middle of the sky, looking over a large, bountiful farm. In the orchards, a young boy wearing a white button up shirt, and gray newsboy cap slacks and suspenders, was tilling the soil. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked off into the distance with his dull gray eyes. He was about seven, fairly tall and broad for his age, and had short, neatly cut sandy blond hair. "OH! These peaches are so juicy!" He heard someone say above him. Looking up, he saw a girl about his age, with long, silky black hair, and fair skin, wearing a white sundress, straw sandals, and a white straw hat, far too big for her. She sat on a thick branch and was eating a peach.

"'Scuse me ma'am," he said politely, sounding more like an old man than a young boy. She looked down at him, only just know realizing that someone else was there; she looked at him with pure white eyes, with just a hint of pink in her irises. "Can I help you? I don't think you should be up there alone." He said politely, considering her safety.

She beamed at him. "Oh, how nice! Of course you can come sit up here with me!" She said, misinterpreting him. He gave her a blank stare, but decided to climb up the ladder onto the tree and sit with her, just to make sure she didn't fall.

As he sat down beside her, the two looked out into the distance, the fields of vegetables, the plains of grass, the hills, the animals, the workers…it was peaceful, and beautiful.

"Wow…this place is beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Do you live here?" The boy nodded.

"The name's Marly McIntosh and this here is my families' farm. We've owned it for seven generations." He said calmly, but pride was clear in his voice. "Pleased to meet ya…" He said, holding out his hand. She grabbed it and shook gingerly.

"Uuda…and pleased to meet you as well!" She said with a smile. There was a glow, a soft but vibrant yellow light, which surprised the two of them. Uuda looked down and picked up a peach colored book that she set between them, and smiled brightly. "Oh goody! You're the one!"

~OOO~

"Others enjoy fighting, and will do everything in their power to destroy that book." Veranga said seriously.

~OOO~

Los Angeles

The scent of smoke and ash filled the evening air in the city. Singe marks and burning rubble littered a crowded slum street, on which two figures, one a thin black woman in a red dress and hair in a ponytail, holding a brown book; she looked down at the other lying on the ground defeated, a sort of human-mole hybrid, with a long nose, hairy skin, and massive clawed hands. He wore a white t-shirt, covered with dust soot and mud, tattered jean shorts and goggles over his eyes.

The woman leaned down and cradled the mole-boy, and with tear filled eyes, looked to two other figures standing not far from them.

"Heh, he wasn't very strong at all." Said a boy.

He was about sixteen, fairly tall, and muscular, but with a thin, almost anemic build, he had very spiky orange hair, sticking out in random areas making it appear like his head was on fire. He wore a white tank-top, baggy blue jeans and white sneakers, and parts of his outfit were burnt, or on fire; the most interesting thing about him was his eyes, which also appeared to be on fire. "That was hardly even fun!" He said arrogantly as the fire in his eyes died down, revealing them to be a bright yellow color. "Let' finish 'em off Hikaru!" He said, mentioning another young man beside him.

"What's the rush Kaji? You've already won…" The other man said lazily. He had platinum blond hair and deep blue eyes, and wore a blue zipped up sweat jacket, blue jeans and silver tennis shoes; in his right hand he held an amber book.

"Would ya just hurry up!? I wanna get this done with." Kaji yelled at him.

"You bastards…" The woman said, putting herself in front of the mole boy, as if protecting him. "What did Gula ever do to you!?" She screamed at them, her voice choking with emotion.

Kaji grimaced, and Hikaru's face remained blank. "This is what you get fer entering the king's tournament. Now hand over the book chick, or I'll fry you too!" Kaji threatened.

The woman merely tightened her grip on the book, and steeled herself for the worst.

"Heh, stupid…" Hikaru said quietly. "I'll go easy on you so you don't end up dying. YOUGAN!"

~OOO~

"Some…are just dangerous…" Veranga said quietly.

~OOO~

St. Petersburg

A dark figure stood atop the Alexander column, his pale, bare feet planted precariously on the tip and one side of the cross held by the statue of an angel.

He was tall, thin, almost sickly looking, and pale, his hair was dark and oily, a tangled mess reaching just down to his shoulders in no particular style, his arms and legs were longer then a normal persons, along with his height, almost unnaturally so; his fingers were sharp and thin, like needles, and had claw-like, black nails on their tips. His feet had similar nails, and wrapped around his footing with the dexterity of a hand. He wore a simple white button up shirt that fit loosely around his almost emaciated but muscular frame, and black cargo pants; he had nothing else, no ornamentation at all.

His dark blue green eyes meticulously scanned the Palace Square; he was looking for something. Something caught his eye, just to his right; it looked like a sort of slum, by the many factories of the city.

"There you are…" He said in a low, soft voice, before leaping from his eighty-some foot perch down towards the ground…

XXX

"I've been looking for you Nikolai." He said softly. He stood in an alleyway looking down at a young man in black pants and a black hoodie, who lay in a pile of trash, blood coming out of a small hole in his leg. The man backed up away from him in fear.

"_Dear God…who…what is this thing!?" _He thought to himself. He looked up at him, terrified at his transformation. The dark figure now had blood all over his body, the blood of people in the alley who he had just killed; from his back sprouted two thick, black bat-like wings, glossy in appearance, the ridges were like saw blades made of bony protrusions, the tips of them were like spears, and were soaked in blood. The figure slowly walked towards him, carrying in his hand a book, the same color as his terrifying, snake-like eyes.

The man tried to back up, but knew that it was pointless. "H-how do you know my name?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

"I told you, I've been looking for you…"

~OOO~

"Still others don't belong here." Veranga said calmly, with a hint of sympathy in his voice.

~OOO~

Chicago Illinois

A young, short boy with green hair, wearing a brown jacket, white t-shirt, brown shorts and leather sandals sat on a street, panting, hardly able to take in the situation around him. All around him there was cause, people shouting and screaming, cars slammed into each-other, innocent people badly hurt…it was his fault…

There was a wake of destruction that lead from his position outward, cars, people, debris, everything before him was blown away and smashed violently against a building. What if someone had…died? He would be to blame…it was all his fault…

His breathing sped up, and he felt his heart racing in his chest. He saw the other two; they were the ones who attacked him!

Beside the destruction was a boy in all black, who looked like he had long bat wings for ears, and a round black head, standing beside a bald man in a black suit and shades, holding a dark purple book. The boy glared at him, but could not hide his fear; he and the bald man ran away into the gathering crowd. They were the ones who attacked him…he should have just let them burn his book…

"I can't stay here…this is all my fault…it's all my fault!" He yelled as tears ran down his eyes.

"NOEL!" A voice from behind him yelled. He turned around, and saw a young woman, with beautiful long purple hair, wearing a green shirt, blue jeans and a brown leather jacket, hanging a camera around her neck, and crawling towards him and holding a pale green book in her hands. She was cut up, covered in bruises…he even hurt her!

But she was smiling…why? "It's ok Noel; it wasn't your fault…" He began sobbing, and tightened his hands into fists.

No…it was all his fault…

She reached him and pulled him into a tight embrace. "It's not your fault…" He put his arms around her, but was shaking with fear, and guilt.

But he was the one who caused all this…it was…

"It's not your fault." She said one last time. Finally he calmed down, and pulled her into a tighter hug.

It was gonna be ok…

~OOO~

"But everyone here was chosen for a reason, a unique power, ability, talent...pff...hooo...**something** that makes them qualified for this tournament." Veranga said seriously.

~OOO~

Montana

Marly and Uuda walked towards a floating vessel not far from the peach orchard; the vessel was sleek and aerodynamic in its design, fairly plane steel, with a cock-pit in its center and two large fan-like propulsion systems on its sides; it had a crane attachment to the bottom of it, and was lifting a large crate of supplies, and several of the men on the farm came towards it to help unload.

Marly noticed that the vessel was teetering, the chain holding onto the supply crate was shaking ominously; even the vessel itself was smaller and lower-grade then the ones the shipping company usually sent!

"Look out Ma'am, this could be dangerous." Marly said cautiously.

Uuda's eyes began sparkling, and she held her hands over her heart. "He cares about me! Oh what a man I've found!"

Marly walked towards the intended landing sight cautiously, and began warning the men to back away from it; they hadn't noticed the chain was shaking, and the vessel creaking. They brushed him aside, and said that everything would be fine.

Uuda got a bad feeling, and pulled out her book and rushed to Marly; the vessel was about fifty feet above them.

"Marly, if that chain snaps, I need you to read something!" Uuda said seriously. He looked at her confused, but knew that she was serious. "If that chain snaps, read the first line of this book and-"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY! IT'S FALLING!"

"THE CHAING SNAPPED, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" The men screamed simultaneously as they scurried to get out of the path of the falling crate; it was a lot bigger close up!

Uuda rushed to where the crate was about to fall, despite Marly's attempt to grab her, and lifted her arms towards the crate, before looking at him and nodding; with no other option left, Marly opened her book, and read the first line.

"The first spell…UNU!" He yelled…nothing. There was no time. He dashed towards Uuda and prayed that he could push her out of the way fast enough…

He grabbed her and ran forward as fast as he could, before diving forward and landing with a soft thud, guarding Uuda with his body…there was no crash… He sat up, and noticed the crate, with a bubble of warped space around it, floating ever so slowly down towards the ground, just a few feet away from it.

"Oh how romantic, you wanted to save me! It's alright Marly, my spell can handle that!" She said as the crate finally fell towards the ground with a soft thud.

"Ma'am…in the future…Don't do that." Marly said quite seriously.

~OOO~

"And every one of them is a threat. Pfff…hoooo…you ready princess?" Veranga asked Mo, who was shaking slightly. This was a lot to take in…

~OOO~

Agu looked at the sphere in Bryant's hand. "You probably didn't get much of an introduction on that, but it's called a locket, and it's supposed to help you keep organized and stuff... Apparently they will be having tests and such, that you can only hear about through the locket. That's all I remember, but we've got to keep that safe too."

Bryant nodded gravely, before letting the locket float up and disappear. He then sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to weigh Agu's words. Just then, the locket reappeared, glowing slightly with a light blue light.

"Well children, now that you have had time to bond with your human partners, we are about to start the first real test! But first, a little explanation. There are ten 'rings', or areas where he have heavily populated Mamodo; they are located in North America, South America, North Africa, South Africa, Europe, East Asia, West Asia, Australia, the south pole, and the north pole. In each of these rings, there were fifty people, totalling all five-hundred of you. Most of these tests will be unique to whatever ring you started in, or if you travel, the closest ring to your current position. But now for the first test; there are 491 of you still participating, and within rings. Once the number of Mamodo within the rings drops to 250, the test will end, and all of the survivo-er, I mean **victors **will get a special prize! Haaaaave fun!" The locket said in an unusually cheerful voice.

"Oh my God..." Bryant said quietly. He started breathing heavily. "Agu...these people are gonna come after you...the locket said that people can go after anyone in the top ten!" Bryant said nervously.

"I know. Don't worry-"

"Those people are gonna come here...what about my mom, and sister, my house? Our neighbors, our neighborhood?!" Bryant began, starting to get hysterical.

"I know. I'll take-" Agu began, more firmly.

"If someone comes here we'll-" Bryant began.

"SIR!" Agu yelled, getting Bryant's attention. He then placed his right hand firmly on Bryant's shoulder, and looked him in the eyes, sincerely and confidently. "I'll take of it...I'll protect you, your family, and everything you own. Leave it up to me sir. We'll be ok." He said with a kind of gentle confidence.

Bryant looked into his eyes for a moment, before smiling thinly. He walked over to his dresser, picked up the blue book and turned to Agu. "Then...I'll help you." he began timidly. "...Through all of this." He said resolutely.

Agu smiled, a sort of mischievous, cocky smile. "Alright sir...now let's get ready! Oh...you got any food?"

**A thank you to all my readers, and especially my reviewers, and God; you all inspire me to write. **

**Character note: Agu has a special place in my heart. He's honest, unapologetic, competetive in almost everything, though always respectfully...he fights for what he believes in without shame, and he is never less then proud of being himself. He's many of the things I struggle, and strive to be.  
**

**Bryant is almost the opposite, but in the best possible way; quiet, thoughtful, apologetic at times, deeply philosophical, and more prone to helping others then helping himself, not always out of goodness, but sometimes out of a lack of confidence; he represents the best and worst in me, and I'm going to enjoy letting you see him and Agu-and consequently, me- develop and grow.  
**

**Mime out.  
**


	4. A new battle

**Chapter 3**

_You never know the value of a friend until you've been alone_

Bryant crouched against a tree in a small grassy field, looking towards Agu, who stood on the top of a small hill overlooking the area, scouting for enemies. They had gone about a mile east of town, to a deserted area, to keep people from getting involved in the fight. He looked back at the Mamodo and tried to assess what he was thinking.

He stood there scanning the area stoically, with no trace of emotion on his face, though the way he tightly gripped his trident betrayed a certain nervousness -maybe even fear- about the situation. He noticed that Agu kept looking back in his general direction, usually seeming a bit more concerned when he looked towards him, and sighing, possibly in relief, slightly each time he looked away, knowing Bryant was ok. _"He is worried about me...though I don't think he really needs to be. I should be ok as long as he keeps that trident between me and anyone who wants to take us on..." _Bryant thought with a slight smile as he remembered how easily Agu dispatched their first opponent.

Still, Bryant felt nervous-or maybe 'wrong' is a better word- about the whole thing. He tried to not let Agu know, so that the two of them could focus on staying alive, but he had a sense that Agu knew what he was feeling. He shuddered slightly at the thought of what might come of all this. What they might be forced to do. He knew from experience that getting involved with fights was a bad idea, even if you were tough, like Agu was...and this was a very big fight. But he shook the thoughts from his head, and focused on the situation at hand. Like it or not, he needed Agu to get through this.

He just wasn't sure yet if he did like that...

~OOO~

The two had set off, and gotten several yards further before Agu suggested that they lay in wait at one of the high points of a small ravine, surrounded on both sides by small pockets of thick forest. Before they left, they had gotten some emergency supplies, which Bryant was now organizing, more to keep himself busy than anything else; (food, a flashlight ((which utterly fascinated Agu)) a first aid kit and some camping equipment) all packed into Bryant's backpack, -along with the book of course- in case anything really bad happened. Luckily, it was Sunday, so Bryant wasn't missing anything. _"God,"_ he thought to himself; _" I get tossed into the middle of a battle royale, and I'm worried about missing school, or a day at work..." _He thought with a sort of quiet humorless laugh.

"Hey boss, I think we're in the clear now. No one's heading in our direction. Yet." Agu said almost gravely. He had a serious, almost professional look in his eye, which worried Bryant a bit. He had the look of someone who was used to this. Bryant tried to convince himself that it was a good thing.

He finished up organizing and taking stock of the supplies, and happened upon the locket he threw in there. The message replayed over and over again in Bryant's head, despite his best efforts to shake it; he couldn't wrap his head around this whole game. _"__Haaaaave fun!" _He remembered it saying so casually.

"_Who knows what some of these other freaks will do to win this? I've got to trust Agu, and protect my family…But can I trust him?" _Bryant sighed, and looked back at Agu, determined, and hopefully, ready to fight.

He _had _to trust Agu.

~OOO~

Agu looked back towards Bryant curiously. He didn't know how to read him yet. He didn't like that. He could tell that Bryant kept a lot hidden, and he didn't know if that was a good thing. _"You owe him your life. And you need to protect him." _He reminded himself, feeling a bit guilty for not trusting his bookkeeper.

"_I hope he's not too nervous…you better show him what you're made of today, Agu! Still, it was smart of him to get all that stuff prepared. Once he gets used to it, he might make a really good partner…" _He suddenly felt a sharp twang in the middle of his abdomen; he felt his senses sharpen, and a quiet but urgent impulse to look in the direction of a small wooded area to their left. He was being watched. Closely.

"_This is bad..."_

~OOO~

In the dense foliage overlooking the ravine, and opposite of where Agu and Bryant were, two figures watched from the dark canopy of the trees.

"Why are we doing this?"

"You know why. You got the memo."

"That's not what I mean. I mean why am I climbing a tree like a retard."

"Because you're retarded?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"What, you asked the question!"

"Yeah, a question that you didn't answer! What I _really _want to know is why we're stalking someone who is in the top ten."

"Because did you see my rank? 345, dude! That's some bullshit..."

"Do you think maybe it's because you pass out whenever I read spells, like a wussy?"

"Do you think it's maybe because you're a little bitch?"

"Don't make me push you off!"

"Shh! I think he sensed me! Why did you have to get me all excited!?"

"Oh God damnit...why did I think that you could sneak up on anyone?"

"SHH!"

~OOO~

Suddenly the initial feeling of dread subsided a bit in Agu. _"Maybe this isn't so bad..."_

"Hey boss...uh, we got company." Agu said quietly. Bryant sighed quietly, got up, and looked Agu in the eyes resolutely. "You ready sir?"

The boy grimaced before making his reply. "I hope so."

Agu smirked and patted him on the shoulder, (not as gently as a Mamodo probably should have). "You'll do fine. I got yer back." He said before turning towards the other side of the ravine. "Come on out! I know you're out there!" He bellowed.

"Damnit!" Was all the reply they received.

~OOO~

Agu and Bryant stood ready on their side of the ravine as the Mamodo team within the forest on the other side slowly made their way towards them. Agu could tell that they were close, as the snapping of branches underfoot and muttered verbal spats grew louder. He turned to Bryant with a barely concealed look of concern.

"You ready for this boss?" He asked. Bryant sighed, steeling himself, and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. Just uh...let me know when you need a spell, I guess?" He said as confidently as possible. Agu was _very _reassured. The taller Mamodo patted his partner (again, more roughly then he probably should have) on the shoulder.

"You can do this boss." Agu said gruffly.

"I can do this." Bryant repeated quietly.

"You got this." Agu said, a bit louder.

"I got this." Bryant tried to match the other boy's tone.

"_He can't do this." _Agu thought to himself. _"Well, hopefully the other team sucks."_Just then, the other team stepped out of the foliage.

The bookkeeper was a disgruntled looking boy, about Bryant's age, with a short, athletic build, neat brown hair, and over-all clean-cut look, despite the angry look on his face and scattering of twigs and leaves stuck into various points of his clothing, which consisted of a yellow shirt with a horizontal red stripe across the chest, blue jeans and white sneakers. Beside him was a boy who looked to be about seven, with wild, spiky black hair, brown eyes and a cocksure, devilish grin. He had two strange line markings under his eye, running down his face, almost to his chin, and wore a black t-shirt, with an orange stripe running vertically all the way down his chest, and around the hems of his sleeves, jean shorts, and simple brown shoes.

~OOO~

The older boy grimaced. "Look at them Jyan. They're totally ready for this." He said. The boy reluctantly nodded in agreement as he watched the other team across the valley 'steeling themselves for battle.'

"They probably think we're gonna suck..." Jyan said quietly.

~OOO~

"_Yeah...they look like they suck." _Agu thought to himself, letting a small grin creep onto his face.

~OOO~

"If I die here, I am coming back to haunt your ass." The older boy said to Jyan.

"Can it Josh, it's time to go! My kingdom awaits!" Jyan said loudly.

"Yeah, you're probably not gonna win. I'm just fighting off these local people so they don't bother me."

"...Dick." Jyan said quietly. The boy then entered a ready stance, and began running down the valley, hoping to meet the larger Mamodo in the middle. He smiled when he saw him pick up his giant fork and charge at him.

"Uh...do you think this is a good idea Jyan?" Josh asked.

"I'll be fine! Just be ready with the spells!" Jyan yelled as the two Mamodo neared the bottom of the valley. He leaped forward, hoping to catch Agu off-guard with a huge and clearly visible flying kick while screaming at the top of his lungs. Surprisingly, the older Mamodo saw it coming. Lifting the head of his trident, Agu neatly caught Jyan's leg between two prongs, then shoved it towards the younger Mamodo, who yelled in surprise as was shot back towards the side of the hill, landing with a thud and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"...Idiot..." Josh said quietly.

~OOO~

Jyan regained his composure in time to see Agu leaping towards him with his fork lifted above his head, blunt end down, ready to grind him into the side of the hill. Jyan feigned a look of shock and horror as the older Mamodo closed in and started thrusting the shaft of his trident straight down towards his skull. With split second timing, Jyan leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow, which put a small crater in the ground where his head was.

"Heheh, sucka!" Jyan said as he entered a ready stance. Further gloating was interrupted as Agu jumped towards him with a downward strike with the prongs of his 'fork', forcing Jyan to jump to the side again.

Agu anticipated this however, and pulled his spear to his side before it hit the ground, and began making figure eight patterns as he followed the smaller Mamodo, who nimbly ducked and weaved his way away from the strikes without so much as a glancing blow, but still couldn't get close enough for a punch.

After a few frustrating seconds of this, Jyan smirked and shouted to his partner. "Get the spell ready Josh! I've got a-"

"Stupid..." his book owner interjected.

"Plan!" said Jyan, ignoring his partner's retardation.

Agu began using smaller, quicker cuts in an attempt to overwhelm the agile young Mamodo, but Jyan merely began to deftly parry any blows that came too close. Switching tactics suddenly, Agu went in for a broad backhand sweep at Jyan's head, which the younger Mamodo nimbly ducked, but Agu followed through with a strike to the midriff with the other end of his trident, which knocked the wind out of Jyan when it hit him, and propelled him back a few feet.

Keeping up his momentum, Agu spun around, pulled his trident in towards his ribs, slid down into a lower stance, and bounced forward, shooting his trident forward with incredible force. Not wanting to kill the other kid, he aimed slightly to the right, so that he would hit Jyan in the neck with the bar connecting two of the prongs.

His eyes widened as his attack stopped just short of connecting, as Jyan, with a devilish grin on his face, had grabbed the two bars connecting the blades of the trident. His feet had dug furrows into the ground due to the force that Agu put into the blow, and that he had put into resisting it.

"Holy-" Agu began.

"NOW!" Jyan screamed.

"CHIKERU!" Josh screamed louder.

"AGU!" Bryant (you guessed it) screamed.

Jyan's eyes rolled back as his mouth opened wide, as a fiery blue aura formed in his mouth, and a blast of it fired point blank into Agu's chest, causing a small explosion.

As a cloud of dust flew up, obscuring the two Mamodo and the aftermath of the blast, Josh smirked slightly.

"Not bad, kid."

"AGU!" Bryant screamed again.

~OOO~

Meanwhile, in the dust and smoke where the Mamodo had clashed, Jyan had regained consciousness, and after coughing up some dust, smiled broadly.

"HAHA! I WON, BITCHES!" He shouted. AS he said that, however, and the smoke began to clear, he realized that he had sub-consciously continued gripping the guard of the trident, which was still being held up. As the smoke cleared further, a singed and beat-up Agu, still standing, was glaring angrily at him. "Uh oh..." Jyan said.

Suddenly Agu jerked the trident upward, throwing Jyan into the air, and as the little Mamodo screamed, and began falling, Agu made a quick spin kick, nailing the smaller Mamodo in the face, and sending him back up the hill, into a tree next to his partner.

"..."

"Still think it's a good idea to go head on?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a no." Josh said with a wry smirk, as the boy pulled his face out of the miniature hole he had made in the tree, and glared in Agu's general direction. The older Mamodo was sweating, and looked pretty badly hurt, but was still smiling defiantly, but with a new-found respect for the younger boy. He placed the shaft of his trident onto the ground, and with two fingers, waved for Jyan to come at him again.

Jyan fumed slightly. "Right...we do it your way."

Josh chuckled quietly as his locket floated up from behind him. "Archive, number ten."

"Accessing files." the locket said in a polite, robotic female voice, as what appeared to be static danced under the glassy surface.

"Stats." Josh said, which caused the locket to project a square, holographic screen, showing a mugshot of Agu, along with a list of numbers beside abbreviations. "...Interesting...well, I think we can do this." Josh said as he smiled confidently.

**Well now I'm back. From outer space...and there you stood in disbelief-**

**Ok I am not gonna finish this reference. So here is part one of two of Jyan vs. Agu. Josh and Jyan are the wonderful creations of thatguy3331. **

**As for how long it took to update...a lot of unfortunate things happened, plus a lot of changes. And writing, which used to energize me so much, just became a drag. I hope you can look past the wait, and enjoy the chapter. Still accepting oc's and constructive criticism. Plus, next chapter will introduce a little game!**

**Mime out.**


End file.
